'Parties must adhere to Zec code of conduct'

POLITICAL leaders and civil society activists have been urged to play a leading role in fostering peace and denouncing violence ahead of next month's general elections.

The call was made on Friday evening during a public lecture on the 2023 harmonised elections focusing on political tolerance, violence free and policy-oriented campaigning rather than individualistic, egoism and selfish posturing.

The lecture, held in Bulawayo, was organised by the Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ) and was presented by Wayne Malinga, a PPRIZ research fellow.

Malinga is also a senior lecturer at Lupane State University and a research associate with the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

He said peaceful and credible elections were essential for democracy to thrive while violence before and during the electoral process denies citizens their right to participate in governance in a way that benefits them.

"At the present moment in Zimbabwe, it is imperative to give room for a violence-free campaign season ahead of harmonised elections on August 23.

"All contesting parties should play by the rules provided by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission codes of conduct for political parties and candidates.

"All political players should desist from the use of violence. The people's fundamental rights should be respected at all times. Those campaigning should be always aware whether their campaign strategies promote peace or violence and if they are able to desist from violence and do they respect fundamental rights of voters," he said.

Malinga said the notion of violence-free elections is encapsulated in the term free and fair elections, serving as a benchmark for determining the legitimacy of elections.

"Efforts by local and international actors include electoral assistance, peacekeeping   and monitoring missions, civic and voter education," he said.

"We have an electoral integrity index. This is where we measure how we perform compared to others in terms of electoral processes. Do we have political representation, do we conduct   free and fair elections, are we able to campaign freely? These are some of the crucial questions."

Malinga said: "But when we look at the current global electoral integrity report of 2023, Zimbabwe  has a score of 41 over 100 and when we look at this perception index and look at the number of countries that are there, we are number 28 out of 50."

He said there were countries that scored less such as Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.

"Apart from these other countries there is also what we call vulnerability index in terms of electoral integrity.  Are we vulnerable? When we are looking at that score, it is 39 out of 100," Malinga said.

"However, for Zimbabwe to have a better standing in terms of electoral integrity, we are supposed to have enough finances to conduct the campaign. We need to look at the media, is it able to cover the whole electoral process? Are we able to register, are we adhering to electoral processes?"

Malinga said most political parties had to deal with tension between promoting internal democracy and maintaining party disciples.

He said parties should be able to create an environment in which members unite around core values, but are free to express their views on policy, party structures and party performance.

PPRIZ executive director Gorden Moyo said it was imperative that all those who wanted to be voted for as legislators or councillors in Bulawayo must be well versed with the culture, historical background and the needs of its residents.

The lecture was attended by officials from various CSOs, academics, and Citizens Coalition for Change and Zapu candidates.

Moyo said they had invited candidates from all parties and they were not aware why others did not attend.